9 Best Inventory Management Software for Small Businesses in 2023

• Free: 50 monthly online orders, 1 warehouse, 2 users, and integrate 1 Shopify store
• Standard ($79/month): 1,500 online orders, 2 warehouses, 3 users, and integrate 1 Shopify store
• Professional ($129/month): 7,500 online orders, 5 warehouses, 5 users, and integrate 2 Shopify stores + vendor portal, 5 automated workflows, serial and batch tracking
• Premium ($199/month): 15,000 online orders, 7 warehouses, 10 users, and integrate 5 Shopify stores, 10 automated workflows + picklists, unit of measurement conversions and contextual chat
• Elite ($299/month): 25,000 orders, 15 warehouses, 15 users, integrate 5 Shopify stores, 10 automated workflows, advanced multicurrency handling
• Ultimate ($399/month): for Elite + Zoho Analytics
• Discount for annual plans
• Can add on users, warehouses, orders and auto-scans as reduced rates

• Shipments module: Shipments have been moved from Packages for easier access
• Custom tabs in the client portal
• More customization tools
• Creating and assigning tasks
• Separate module of Purchase Receives
• Document attachment to shipments
• More shipping tools

Zoho’s products for small businesses often make our best-of lists because they provide great value for the price. Here, Zoho Inventory takes the No. 1 spot because it has a good free option for small inventories that nonetheless contains a full set of inventory tools.

It can handle multiple warehouses, ecommerce, and purchase orders all from one inventory management platform. Additionally, it is customizable for different use cases and has an intuitive interface. Zoho Inventory also has features for managing perishable items, like expiration monitoring and alerts, making it good for small grocery stores.

This software earned a 4.49 out of 5 in our evaluation, earning the top score for pricing. It’s the cheapest of the inventory systems on our list after Orderry, though Zoho’s free plan gave it an edge. While it scored well for its features, you may find more industry-specific tools in EZRentOut or Lightspeed, which are more targeted for rental operations and retailers, respectively. That, along with limited customer support hours and a lack of native POS integrations, prevented Zoho from getting a perfect score.

Create and send purchase orders right from your Zoho Inventory account.

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View all your current sales, orders, and an inventory overview on your home page. (Source: Zoho)

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Choose from Zoho’s rich menu of reports so that you can better understand your business and how it is performing in every aspect. (Source: Zoho)

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• Lean ($119/month): Inventory with POS, 24/7 support, free training resources
• Standard ($179/month): Adds ecommerce and accounting integrations
• Advanced ($299/month): Adds loyalty program and advanced reporting tools, plus one-on-one onboarding
• Enterprise: Custom pricing and features for large companies
• Discounts for annual plans and for using Lightspeed Payments

Lightspeed Retail is a popular retail point-of-sale (POS) system known for its inventory management features. Not only can you conduct sales both online and in-store with Lightspeed, but the platform tracks all your inventory levels in real time across multiple locations and channels, allows you to run advanced reports, and integrates seamlessly with ecommerce stores. It doesn’t manage perishable goods like Zoho, although if you run a restaurant, you’ll find that feature in Lightspeed Restaurant. (MarketMan is still a better pick for restaurant inventory.)

While Lightspeed scored 4.41 out of 5, it does have a few areas where it lacks. It can also be challenging to use at first and frustrating when training new employees on your POS. Lightspeed’s basic plan is pricey, although you can bring the price down by using Lightspeed’s payment processor. However, it rocked for inventory features, having the second-highest score after Agiliron.

View your store’s performance for the day at a glance on your home screen dashboard. (Source: Lightspeed)

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Add detailed product information and even include custom fields for each of your product pages. (Source: Lightspeed)

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On Lightspeed’s inventory page, you can utilize tools for making purchase orders, adding vendors, and organizing products into matrices and bundles.
(Source: Lightspeed)

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All plans include unlimited orders, a POS, a CRM system, ecommerce store, eBay and Amazon integrations, and 24/7 email support.

• Premier ($99/month): 1 user, 2 sales channels, email support
• Enterprise ($199/month): 1 user, 2 sales channels, multilocation tracking, B2B store, advanced inventory tools, phone support
• Global Enterprise ($299/month): 1 user, 2 sales channels, international stores, multiple currencies
• Discount for annual plans

Agiliron is a multichannel management system with ecommerce, social commerce, retail, and wholesale functions. This software excels in providing easy access to information from anywhere in the program. It offers comprehensive inventory features for creating custom orders, kitting features, assemblies, matrixed products, and product substitutions to set this system apart. With competitive pricing to Lightspeed and its own POS, we chose it for its excellent B2B tools.

It earned an overall score of 4.25 out of 5. Agiliron had the highest score for inventory functions. Its score for pricing would have been higher if it had a free plan. You also need higher plans for multiple warehouses. For a less expensive—though simpler—software, Zoho Inventory is your best bet. Users love Agiliron’s functionality but say it takes time to learn it.

Integrate your Agiliron account with tons of different sales channels and software. (Source: Agiliron)

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With the “New” button you can take tons of different actions, including creating purchase orders, new products, or even vendors right from your home page. (Source: Agiliron)

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Adding a new sales channel is as easy as inputting its URL, and then Agiliron will integrate your store for inventory tracking. (Source: Agiliron)

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The Agiliron mobile app is great for warehouse managers to use when they are on the ground and need to access information. (Source: Agiliron)

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Pricing

• Essential ($89/month): 2 users, 100 locations, unlimited orders, 10 custom fields, unlimited rentals, basic reports, no payment integrations
  • Add users for $20/month
• Growth ($179/month): 4 users, 150 locations, unlimited orders, 20 custom fields, B2B customer management, custom reports, online customer portal, payment integrations, guided onboarding session
• Plus ($134.97/month): 3 users, unlimited items, 30 custom fields, additional inventory and reporting features
• Premium ($349/month): 6 users, 200 locations, unlimited orders, unlimited items, 30 custom fields, advanced reporting and inventory features, online rental store, multi-store inventory, QuickBooks integration, phone support
• Discount for annual plans

EZRentOut offers terrific inventory features designed for the specific needs of rental companies, whether equipment rental for construction or sports, audio equipment, or furniture for homes or events. It lets you note damage by renters, track depreciation, and (like Oderry) track services and repairs. Plus, its GPS tracking tools make it easy to see where your equipment is at any time.

It earned 4.23 out of 5 on our rubric—an excellent score given its specificity. It took hits for limited integrations, which, like Orderry, are primarily through Zapier—although EZRentOut offers an ecommerce store for online renting and sales. Like Agiliron, it also has B2B customer management tools. It lacks a free plan and payment gateway, hurting its pricing score. However, it got high marks for inventory tools and ease of use.

View your day at a glance and utilize quick actions on the EZRentOut home screen dashboard. (Source: EZRentOut)

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Add both inventory items and assets to your items list, perfect for rental services. (Source: EZRentOut)

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View tons of different reports for anything from your customers to taxes to orders. (Source: EZRentOut)

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Employees can request new stock or replacement stock with new stock requests. (Source: EZRentOut)

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• Essential ($129/month): 1 user, 3 warehouses, unlimited items, access to native integrations
  • Add users for $29/month
• Advanced ($349/month): 1 full-access user, 3 shop floor operators, unlimited warehouses, batch and expiry date tracking, multicurrency support, Shop Floor App, API, free onboarding
  • Add full-access users at $39/month and shop floor operators at $9/month
• Professional ($999/month): 1 full-access user, 3 shop floor operators, unlimited warehouses, multicurrency support; dedicated customer support manager
  • Add full-access users at $79/month and shop floor operators at $19/month
• Enterprise: Custom pricing; advanced tools and onboarding support
• Discount for annual plans

Katana stands out from the others on our list because it’s specifically designed for manufacturers. In addition to the bundling and kitting tools nearly all the others have, it can track products and supplies at all levels of the manufacturing process. Plus, it has automatic workflows, so you can concentrate on making the best products quickly.

It moved up in this update with an overall score of 4.13 out of 5, taking hits on pricing for not having a free plan and only allowing one user per plan (unless you pay extra). Katana also lacks a mobile app, like Orderry and Ordoro, and has limited integration capabilities. However, it is great for features and is one of the few on the list that can track supplies, even by volume and expiration date. It even has adjustments so that you can sell products you don’t move as well.

For goods that you are in the process of making, you can track their progress and see how long they have been in production. (Source: Katana)

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If you buy manufactured goods rather than make them, you can submit PO’s and monitor their progress in the “Buy” section of your Katana account. (Source: Katana)

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You can view your inventory from across warehouses and production plants all from your Katana account.
(Source: Katana)

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• Operator ($179/month): Purchase orders, inventory counting and transfers, accounts payable management, POS and accounting software integrations, COGs and purchasing reporting, 20 invoice scans per month
• Professional ($249/month): Adds supplier order automation and approvals, waste tracking, recipe costing, advanced reporting, API access, 50 invoice scans per month
• Ultimate ($399/month): 2 included vendor integrations and 300 invoice scans per month
• Onboarding: $500 (mandatory)
• Discounts and free onboarding for annual plans

Add-ons

• Invoice scans/processing: $50/100 scans
• Vendor Integratons: $25/month per integration
• Commissary Module: $50/month per location for advanced features for commissary/central kitchens

MarketMan is a cloud-based inventory and vendor management app designed specifically for restaurants, with supply tracking based on expiration dates and recipes when desired. One unique function is that it will process invoices for you. It integrates with many popular POS systems and has robust invoicing and scanning functions. MarketMan says its customers save 2% to 5% in overall food costs, 4 to 8 hours in accounting data entry, and 50% time in placing orders.

It scored 3.94 out of 5 in our evaluation. MarketMan is the second-most expensive product on our list and does not offer a free plan or trial. There is no CRM suite like there is with Lightspeed and Cin7 Orderhive, and it has limited multichannel management. Otherwise, it has excellent inventory tools. It costs $500 to set up the software, but it can tie ingredients and quantities to recipes. Each plan also comes with a set number of invoices. Tell them what you need, and they will process your purchase orders for you.

You can sort by a number of filters. (Source: MarketMan demo)

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MarketMan lets you not only set low-stock alert levels but also par levels so you always order the optimum number of items. (Source: MarketMan demo)

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MarketMan lets you do counts by recipe, so you can track use, cost, and wastage. (Source: MarketMan demo)

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All plans include marketplace and ecommerce integrations, stock transfers, purchasing management, chat and email support. Some onboarding is included, depending on the plan.

• Essentials ($125/month): 300 orders per month, 2 users, unlimited integrations in 2 categories; includes basic order, shipping, returns and inventory management
• Pro ($225/month): 1,000 orders per month, 4 users, and unlimited integrations in 4 categories; includes basic order, shipping, returns and inventory management
• Pro Plus ($325/month): 2,000 orders per month, 6 users, and unlimited integrations from 8 categories; includes basic inventory management, and advanced order and returns management, plus shipping integrations and phone support
• Enterprise ($500/month): Unlimited monthly order, users, and integrations; everything in Pro Plus, plus accounting, advanced inventory, and an account manager
• Discount for annual plans

Onboarding add-ons

• Additional Training: $100/hour
• End-to-end Automation Setup: $500
• Data Import Migration: $1,000
• Catch up with Product Team: $200/hour

We found Cin7 Orderhive the best solution for managing inventory for pure ecommerce and dropshipping. Powering over 5,500 ecommerce businesses, it not only handles inventory but also automates ecommerce tasks, works with 200+ shipping carriers, and has manufacturing management tools. You can automate purchase orders based on stock thresholds and manage inventory across multiple stores and warehouses. Plus, it has batch, serial number coordination, stock transfers, kitting, and more.

Cin7 Orderhive cloud inventory earned a respectable 3.90 on our rubric. It earned good scores for inventory features, ease of use, and our expert score but got docked heavily in the pricing section for its pricing and lack of a free plan—if this is a consideration for you, try Zoho. It integrates with POS systems, but if you have in-store sales, we suggest Lightspeed or Agiliron.

You can manage multiple warehouses with Cin7 Orderhive.
(Source: Cin7 Orderhive)

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You can set product thresholds for low-stock alerts singly or in bulk.
(Source: Cin7 Orderhive)

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It’s easy to create purchase orders. (Source: Cin7 Orderhive)

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• Hobby ($39/month): 1 employee, 1 location, 100 orders, 1 location
  • $3 for each additional employee
• Startup ($69/month): 1 employee, 1 location, unlimited orders, unlimited locations
  • +$6 for each additional employee and +$49 for each additional location
• Business ($99/month): 1 employee, 1 location, unlimited orders, unlimited locations, advanced inventory locations
  • +$9 for each additional employee and +$79 for each additional location
• Enterprise ($199/month): Adds a personal manager
• Discount for annual plans

We selected Orderry for its strong tools for repair shops of any size and kind—from a one-man auto parts business to a computer repairs enterprise. Orderry’s management system can track tools, supplies, and even the items your customer leaves in your care, something not seen in the other software on this list. In addition, it has work order management that takes you from leads to repeat sales and includes a scheduler and more. Further, it’s the cheapest small business inventory software on our list.

Orderry earned 3.89 out of 5 on our rubric. Its offerings are not as diverse as those of Zoho or Agiliron, and it does not have ecommerce tools like Cin7 Orderhive. However, it has repair-specific features like automatic write-off of products in work orders, bin control, and consumables tracking.

Create work orders straight from your Orderry account and attach assets and merchandise to the task for tracking. (Source: Orderry)

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Create different kinds of inventory like assets, stock, postings, or transfers. (Source: Orderry)

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View tons of reports about your products and see how they are performing in real time with Orderry’s analytics and reporting tools. (Source: Orderry)

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To take advantage of the inventory features, you need to be subscribed to one of the following plans:

• Pro ($499/month): Purchase orders, kitting, and dropshipping, returns management; 1 sales channel, 3,000 orders (price increases with more orders and sales channels)
• Enterprise ($999/ month): Adds vendor portals, inventory allocation, and custom integrations
• Seasonal (Flex) pricing: Rates are based on usage; call for a quote

While Ordoro is primarily identified as a shipping platform, it provides advanced inventory management and automated purchasing features that intuitively integrate with its shipping system. Because of this, Ordoro makes supply chain management easy and efficient—an ideal solution for dropshippers and volume sellers. It is, however, the most expensive system on our list; if you want something equally feature-rich but cheaper, Agiliron is our suggestion, followed by Cin7 Orderhive for ecommerce companies, especially. Ordoro alone on our list offers seasonal pricing.

Like Orderry, Ordoro earned a 3.89 out of 5. Its integrations (plus available shipping discounts) and advanced inventory management solutions (such as kitting and bundling) contributed to its high score. Ordoro had the second-lowest pricing score after Cin7 Orderhive. If you need to minimize your inventory holding costs and save on volume shipping because of online orders, Ordoro is for you, but if you run a brick-and-mortar retail store, consider Zoho or Lightspeed.

Manage your shipments easily and view orders pending, in transit, and received. (Merchant Maverick)

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Buy and print postage without ever leaving your Ordoro account.
(Source: Merchant Maverick)

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Streamline inventory and shipping processes with automation settings.
(Source: Orderhive)

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